Adventures in Babysitting
by Just Playing Along
Summary: Bellamy thought of the passion that he always associated with Clarke. He thought of how amazing she turned out to be after they got to know each other. He thought about how much he still craved to know. He thought of how hard it would be to have her help him for two weeks and act like he felt nothing for her. AU: Linctavia has to work out of the country for 2 wks, Bellarke babysits
1. Chapter 1

They were having dinner when Octavia got the call. She made a face before leaving the room to answer.

"Uncle Bell," Audra whispered when Lincoln got up to get more water.

"What, munchkin?"

"Do you want to see a trick?"

He chuckled, "Of course."

She took a spoonful of her vegetables and told him to close his eyes. After a few seconds she clapped, "Open!" She held up an empty spoon and showed him proudly. "They disappeared!"

He raised his eyebrows, "Wow, kiddo! That's pretty-"

"NNNOOOOO!" Nick started screaming, interrupting Bellamy. "NO!"

Lincoln came back and picked him up, trying to stop him from interrupting Octavia's call.

"N-No! Audie, no!"

Bellamy looked at Audra, "I'm guessing you didn't eat your vegetables to make them go away." She glanced at Nickolas' now double portion and shook her head, looking down. He quickly scooped the spoonful back and gave it to Audra. "You have to eat them, munchkin. So you'll be strong."

After the vegetables were taken from his plate, Nick calmed down and Lincoln set him down. Audra was making a show of how strong she already was and trying to convince her father and uncle that she did not have to eat her vegetables. When Octavia came back she was grumbling about work and people's stupidity and hating her boss.

"Everything okay, O?" Bellamy asked, glancing at the exchange between her and Lincoln.

"No. Not really. Indra just called. Apparently I've got to go Iceland next week. There is a settlement that's really traditional that we've been trying to learn about for a long time. Apparently they've just agreed, but they're customs have something to do with the seasons? I don't know. Long story short, I have to fly out next week and stay for two more." She looked at Lincoln, "Can you get off work a couple days so we don't have to get a sitter every day?"

Lincoln, always calm, balanced out Octavia's stress. "It's not a problem, babe. I'll just-" his phone beeped and he quickly read the message,"… sit next to you on the plane." He grimaced. "Looks like the settlement didn't just agree for researchers- national geographic wants an article too. I have to go photograph and interview."

Lincoln had worked for national geographic for several years now. Working with nature had always been a passion and now he got paid to explore remote places and survive essentially in the wilderness for days at time. Octavia on the other hand, recently graduated and only just got her job. It had taken her longer to graduate from school on account of having Audra and Nickolas- their kids, but she had managed to get an undergraduate degree in anthropology. Still having to go to grad school, she decided it would be best for the family if she took a couple years off, interned, and paid off some loans before taking out even more. She had always wanted to work with other cultures, so when she got the offer to work as Indra's assistant and research remote settlements and people, she agreed in a rush. Normally it wasn't too difficult, Lincoln had it arranged so his work was mostly at home. He could easily edit, write articles, and connect with his colleagues over e-mail. This made it easy to watch the kids when Octavia had had class or now when she got called into work at random hours. If he was unable to, Lincoln's friend Nyko- who was practically his brother- would normally watch them for a few days.

Octavia groaned, "Crap! What are we going to do? Nyko won't be back for another 15 days!"

"Um... O? Not that it's a big deal, but I'm sitting right here." Bellamy mentioned, "You know... Uncle to both and godfather to one?"

"Bellamy, I can't ask you to do that. If it was summer, you know I'd have no problem with it, but what about your classes? There's no way I want you to have them be a burden for two weeks."

He scoffed in return. "A burden? First of all, they're my niece and nephew, they're never a burden. Second of all, I don't have a class every day, and the classes I do have are only several hours a day. My TA can help me out and they can sit with me during office hours. You said you had a sitter, so if there's an important class or it gets to be too much I can call them for one or two days. Seriously O, I want to help you guys out."

She studied him for a few more seconds before conceding. "Okay, big brother. If you're sure it won't interfere with your classes." He shook his head and smiled pulling her into a hug. "Thank you, Bell."

Lincoln added a thanks and they resumed the meal.

"Even though you're watching them, you're still good to take them on Tuesday, right?" When he nodded, she looked relieved. "Great, I'll be home around one, I'm having lunch with Clar-" She gasped, apparently having an idea. "Hey! Maybe Clarke could help you out! She gets called in to work a lot, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

He sighed. Clarke. It wasn't that he had a problem with her, it was actually quite the opposite. Clarke was fantastic, but she was one of Octavia's best friends. He met her when Clarke and Octavia were in college, and has known her for years. They had not always got along, but after Audra was born their all-out screaming matches turned into petty disagreements.

 _"Hey, Clarke, I want you to meet my brother! This is Bellamy," He heard Octavia say as she dragged a blonde girl behind her._

 _The girl was slightly tipsy and looked generally pissed at the entire bar._

 _She nodded and waved at him before pulling out her phone and furiously typing. Octavia rolled her eyes, "Seriously Clarke? I did not take you here so you could fight with your mom the whole night. Let loose for a little bit and then I swear we can go home."_

 _Clarke nodded again and Octavia smiled and went to get them more drinks. Clarke's phone chimed twice before it began ringing._

 _"Isn't that probably your mom?" Bellamy asked her._

 _She immediately scoffed, "Probably. I don't really care. She doesn't dictate my every action."_

 _He nodded, seeming disinterested. "Aah, got it. So you're pissed at mommy dearest. Judging by your shoes and shirt, I'm going to guess you didn't get the pony you wanted for your birthday?"_

 _He wasn't trying to be rude. Much. But since she began talking to him, he got the feeling that she saw him as a pain in the ass. She didn't want to talk to him, so why should he pretend to be nice?_

 _"Excuse me?" She whirled on him. If he thought she looked pissed before, it was nothing compared to the fire in her eyes now. "Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to jump to-"_

 _"I brought beer!" Octavia said cheerfully, coming back from the bar, unaware of the situation she had walked into. When she saw Clarke's face, hers fell a bit. "Clarke? What did she say now?"_

 _"My mother hasn't done anything else. Your asshole brother seems to have made a few assumptions about me though."_

 _Bellamy figured that if she had already given him a title, he'd live up to it. "That's right I have, let me guess... Princess is trying to rebel. Break away from her mommy. Bet you didn't think about who's going to pay for your phone bill and shopping sprees, did you princess? Unless daddy's got that covered."_

 _He hardly got the last word out before she hit him. Not a slap on the arm, either. She punched his jaw with her eyes ablaze. "How DARE you?!" She screamed at him. "You have no idea who I am." She shoved at his chest, but when security looked like they might come over, she turned on her heel and left. Octavia mumbled something about driving her home and then went after her._

 _"I'll call you, Bell. I'm sorry!" She called over her shoulder._

Bellamy thought of how he was left standing dumbstruck in the bar. He thought of the fiery passion that was always associated with Clarke. He thought of how much they had grown from their first meeting and how much they both loved Nick and Audra. He thought of how amazing she turned out to be after they did get to know each other. He thought about how much he still craved to know but couldn't learn because he didn't want to lose her. He thought of how hard it would be to have her help him for two weeks and act like he felt nothing for her.

"Yeah," Bellamy agreed with what he hoped was a relaxed smile. "That'd be great."

What was he getting himself into?

 **A/N: Sooo this is kind of the introductory chapter. I'm working on the second one right now, and there will probably be one for everyday Lincoln and Octavia are gone. Lots of domestic fluff because I'm Bellarke trash. Let me know what you think or if there're any specific situations that you want to see! Reviews are great! :)**


	2. Tuesday Afternoon

"So what? Your boss calls you with no warning and expects you to drop everything and leave the country? I can't believe that!"

"Technically I did have a warning. When I took the job, she told me to have a suitcase ready in case something like this happened. I'm glad I had a week to get ready and tell the kids and stuff though."

Clarke nodded. "They'll be fine with Lincoln, and besides, this isn't this first time it has happened." At Octavia's silence and slight frown she stopped.

Octavia sighed, "Lincoln has to go also. The kids are staying with Bellamy for the time we're gone. Clarke, I feel terrible. Nyko isn't here either, so I feel like Bellamy didn't have a choice to offer. I know he's playing it cool for our sake, but if you could help him out any, I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course! I will totally help out. I probably can't take them overnight because I'll be at the hospital really late or really early, but when I don't have work I can definitely help him." She smiled at Octavia's relief and then added, "I'll text him later tonight and we can work it out."

"He's watching them right now if you just want to go over and pick them up with me. I'm sure they'd love to see you." Octavia smiled at her cleverness. The kids would love to see Clarke, but she knew Bellamy would too. He thought he was good at hiding his feelings, but if he was any more obvious, he might as well be shouting it from the rooftops. She also knew that Clarke felt the same way. A drunken confession from her best friend followed by a "You can't tell Octavia" had informed her of the blonde's crush on her brother. When she asked her about it a couple days later, Clarke steadfastly refused that she was in any way attracted to Bellamy. The deep red of her cheeks, however, gave her away. _If you were,_ Octavia had told her, _I wouldn't be mad._ That had been the end of it.

Lincoln was always pushing Octavia to try new things. It was one of the things she loved about him. So when he prompted her to not stress out- like she normally would- and see the positive side of the situation, she chose to focus on the potential of Clarke and Bellamy. As far as she knew, they didn't hang out much one on one, and she knew they were both attracted to each other. While she had never outright asked Bellamy, she could see the look in his eyes when somebody mentioned Clarke. She knew it was deeper than just an attraction for him. She also suspected that if it wasn't already more than that to Clarke, it would be after she really spent some one on one time with him.

She knew Bellamy, and if he wasn't okay with something- especially if it had something to do with her or the kids- he'd tell her. While he wouldn't hate having help, she knew if he really wanted to, he could do it on his own. So when she asked him on Friday if he wanted Clarke's help and he didn't refuse, she knew her plan would work. Her best friend and brother would end up together. She was sure of it.

Octavia knocked on the door and they heard shuffling. "Bellamy! It's me, open up!"

Several seconds later Bellamy opened the door with Audra attached to one leg and Nick holding onto the other. Audra's hair was in a messy ponytail and the kids had paint streaked on their faces. It looked like Bellamy had gotten some in his hair too.

"We don't want to leave, mom!" Audra told her. "Auntie Clarke!" She jumped off of Bellamy's leg and onto Clarke's instead.

Clarke grunted with effort as she walked inside. "Hey Audra, hey Nick" she laughed. Nick reached over to her leg, but was still holding on to Bellamy's. Unsatisfied that he couldn't reach, he threw his weight towards Clarke, effectively knocking Bellamy off balance and stumbling into her as well. She laughed harder at his flustered expression when he caught himself on her shoulders. "Hey Bellamy."

"Clarke," He nodded and chuckled, running his hand over the back of his neck. Octavia was beaming when he looked over at her and he quickly shot her a warning glare. Which prompted her to put on an innocent expression.

"Hey Bell, Clarke said she'd love to help out with the kids while Lincoln and I are gone. Isn't that great?"

He glared at her another second before turning to Clarke. "Yeah. Yeah, that's- uh- that's creat. GREAT! That's... Um… Great."

He cursed inwardly at his own stupidity. Creat? What the hell was that: cool and great? He noticed that he was still standing very close to her on account of his nephew and took a couple steps away under the pretense of trying to shake Nick loose.

"So," Octavia started, "You guys seem to have had a good day?"

Audra and Nick both nodded. "Look what we did!" They both got up and ran to Bellamy's guest room. The price of his apartment was cheap, so he was able to get a 2 bedroom close to campus. He didn't need an extra room unless the kids stayed over, so he used it as a study instead. Upon entering, Clarke saw that one of Bellamy's massive bookshelves had been cleared off. It was set in the middle of the room on a plastic tarp. The whole thing looked primed, but only the bottom two shelves were painted. The bottom one had swirls of bright color, mixed together in parts to make a brown mess. Small handprints were travelling up the sides in different colors. The second shelf was more put together, but still smudged in places. It was a canvas of purples and greens, with smaller pink and blue designs.

Octavia gasped, "Oh my God, you guys! You painted this?"

They both nodded, "Uncle Bell hepped!" Nick added proudly.

"Bellamy, wasn't this mom's?" Octavia whispered when she got a closer look at the bookshelf.

He cleared his throat, "Yeah. I was thinking the other day, and I thought maybe she'd want them to have it. We had some books when we were their age and I know you probably don't remember but she always wanted us to have more. You could have it at your house or it could stay here, but when Audra starts learning to read a bit more… I don't know. It seemed like a good time to do it."

She had tears in her eyes when she hugged him. "I love it," She said, muffled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head and smiled. "I love you too, you're the best brother and uncle in the whole world."

"Love you back, O." He mumbled, embarrassed that he was almost tearing up as well.

Clarke watched the exchange in silence. She had grown up with an entire library in her house and she couldn't remember a single book in it. Bellamy and Octavia had grown up in a different world, a much harder world, but Clarke found herself jealous. She wanted to know what it felt like to have such a deep connection to her family. She wondered what it would be like to have something that was so meaningful that it stood in her life like a backbone. She had no stability. Octavia- and by extension Bellamy and Lincoln- would always be there, as well as Raven, but she had no one that she _knew_ would stand by her no matter what. She felt like she always had to have it together around other people. Octavia had seen her break down only twice in all the years they'd known each other. Her work was becoming increasingly stressful and she wanted so badly to have someone to hug her like Bellamy was hugging Octavia; like everything in the world would be alright because they had each other.

"Auntie Clawke?" Nick said and patted her knee.

She bent down and scooped him up. He bumped his face on her cheek, which was his way of giving her a kiss, and it was then she realized that she was tearing up too. He wrapped his arms around her neck and she smiled and rubbed his back. With his tiny body in her arms, she felt so much love for him. All of her other worries seemed to ease. These kids were exactly what she needed. These next few weeks would make everything okay.

 **A/N: Alright y'all, so this was another sort of intro-chapter. the next one will be the day when Lincoln and Octavia leave. Review if you can, and like I said before, let me know if there's any cute you're dying to see. Thanks!**


	3. Day One

The morning Octavia and Lincoln left was hectic, to say the least. Octavia was like a tornado, going through the house grabbing this and that and leaving a mess behind her. Lincoln reminded her twice to grab her passport and she still almost forgot it. Nick started crying when it really hit him that his parents were going to be gone. As a result, Octavia felt so bad that she almost called Indra to cancel. Lincoln assured her that the kids would be fine. They had both been gone at the same time before, and even though it wasn't easy to leave, both their kids did fine without them. Octavia knew he was right but still prolonged leaving as long as possible.

Bellamy drove them all to the airport, where both the kids had a long hug and a reminder to "be good" from their parents. Octavia gave Bellamy a hug and another thank you, and Lincoln gave him a clap on the shoulder. Octavia, always strong unless it came to her family, started tearing up when Nick started crying again, but eventually both she and Lincoln made it to the line through security. Bellamy stayed with the kids until both their parents were all the way through, and with a final wave they were alone.

Nick was still sniffling when Bellamy lifted him up and gave him a tight hug.

"Are you going to be okay, little man?" He asked softly, bending down and pulling Audra in the hug for good measure. He knew that while Nick was young and emotional, Audra was aged well beyond her years. She was always good at hiding her feelings when Nick was upset because she didn't want to put more stress on anybody. She gave him a small smile and he kissed her cheek.

"I otay," Nick whispered against his shoulder.

They left the airport, Bellamy inwardly cursing at all the traffic, before going back to his apartment.

"Alright, munchkins, what should we do today?" He asked them after unloading their small suitcases. Audra's had a tree spanning the front and Nick's was clad in a scene from outer space. It was just after two o'clock in the afternoon, so Bellamy knew he had to entertain them for several more hours before dinner, and after that he could start winding them down to go to bed. "I have Netflix, arts and crafts, or games."

Audra looked at Nick before speaking up. "I think we should play a game."

His nephew's head perked up a bit, and Bellamy was grateful that his older sister was so tuned in to how he was feeling.

"I made up a game a couple days ago, if you want to play that. It's _really_ fun," he emphasized. At Audra's shrug and nod he continued. "Alright, so it doesn't have a name, but you guys can help me come up with one of you want. The object of the game is to build Mount Olympus on the couch. You have to pull a name out of the hat and then go get a pillow from my room and bring it back like the person would." They still looked confused, so he decided to elaborate. "Its just like the zoo animal game we play. But instead of acting like an animal, you act like whoever is on the card."

Audra nodded, "Okay, Uncle Bell. We can play that."

He smiled, even though he wasn't sure how enthusiastic they really were, and instructed them both to carry the couch cushions to his room while he quickly wrote down some names of Greek figures and put them in one of his hats. He knew he'd have to help them understand who all the figures were, but he'd resolved that they would learn something over the course of the next two weeks. It was partly the professor in him, but he also knew it would drive Octavia crazy to know her son and daughter were now interested in "the most boring topics in the world, Bell, seriously".

The returned and were waiting to start as he finished writing. "Okay, who wants to go first?"

Once again studying her brother, Audra raised her hand and picked a name. She handed it to Bellamy to read, since she was only just starting to learn.

"It says Cyclopes. They were big, one-eyed creatures. So now, you have to act like a cyclopes and go get a pillow to bring back. We can start stacking them and making a Mount Olympus fort. That's where the gods and goddesses lived."

Audra seemed more sure of the game now, and since she was dramatic like her mother, she was getting more and more excited. Bellamy laughed as she stood on her tiptoes, closed one eye, and brought her arms out to make herself seem bigger. She also growled and made "monster noises" on the way to his room. Even Nick was smiling by the time she was placing a pillow on the couch.

"Your turn Nick," Bellamy told him, holding out the hat. After he had picked one Bellamy read it. "Aphrodite. She was the goddess of beauty and love. She was very pretty."

Nick thought for a minute before smiling and doing a runway walk to Bellamy's room. He even waved his arms, which Bellamy thought was supposed to act like Aphrodite's hair. He was walking back with a big pillow and even held it in a pose at the end of the hallway before toddling to the couch. Audra and Bellamy were howling with laughter, since Nick's dramatic side showed much less than Audra's

"Nicky that was so funny!" Audra said between breaths when he came back over to stand with them. "Now it's your turn, Uncle Bell!"

He pulled a name "Mine says Chronos. He was supposed to represent time." He smirked at his niece and nephew, glad that they were beginning to have fun with the game. Walking down the hallway at a normal pace, he suddenly stopped and started walking in slow motion, after a couple of steps he sprinted the rest of the way to his room, grabbed a pillow, and went back on the hall. Once again, halfway down the hall he started to move in slow motion, exaggerating with a deep voice saying "Auuuddraaa… Niiiicckkkk… Taaakkeee iiitttt" holding out the pillow. Audra was almost doubled over in laughter as she took it from his hand and also started moving a slow motion towards the couch. Nick joined in with them, laughing at his slowed down arms and legs.

They're game continued for several more rounds. Audra pulled Adonis, and showed her own rendition of Nick's previous runway walk. Nick pulled Cerberus and growled and barked his way to the room on all fours. Bellamy's favorite to pull was Morpheus, god of dreams. He pretended to be asleep, snoring and sleepwalking all the way down the hall. When he didn't come out of his room immediately, Audra and Nick went to investigate and found him sprawled on top of his bed, snoring theatrically.

"Wake up Morpheus!" Audra yelled and they both jumped on him.

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'm awake. But this is that last pillow. How about we finish our fort and then I'll start dinner?"

They nodded and the three of them left the room, emitting loud snores.

The fort was pretty nice, if it was up to Bellamy. They ended up rearranging the pillows to the middle of the couch and Bellamy draped a sheet over them. They had used all his bed pillows too, so the middle of the tent was pretty high. The other sides of the sheet were tucked behind the couch and pulled to the floor, making a sort of cave around the couch. Bellamy brought out some of their toys so they could play while he cooked. He couldn't help chuckling along when he heard them giggling under the sheets.

Dinner was uneventful, Bellamy made pasta because he had it on hand. He was going to take them grocery shopping soon, so they could plan meals and help him cook easy foods.

Afterwards, the three of them crawled into the fort and he turned on his computer. The side of the fort facing the TV was closed off, so he was browsing through Netflix for something to watch. Audra had a headache, but insisted they watch Mulan, and luckily Nick wasn't opposed to it. Within thirty minutes their lyrics had drifted to quieter hums and they both began to curl into Bellamy.

His heart swelled as he wrapped his arms around them and gently kissed them each on the head. After the movie was over he picked both of them up- a difficulty since he still had to climb out of the fort- and brought them to the guest room. He had pushed the desk against one wall and brought in two small cots for the two weeks they would stay with him. Placing each one on their respective bed, covering them with blankets, and giving them one more kiss, he turned on a night light.

"Goodnight, my munchkins," He whispered.

He didn't stop smiling for the rest of the night.


	4. Not Alone

On Audra and Nick's first full day at Bellamy's, Audra got sick. Bellamy remembered that she had had a headache the night before, but when she threw up around noon, he thought she might be coming down with something. It was no big deal, he'd taken care of Octavia many times when she was sick, and after a quick run to the store for medicine and ginger-ale, she was fine. When he was getting them both ready for bed, however, things began to change.

Clarke was filling up yet another cup of coffee at work when her phone rang. She sighed when she saw his name.

"Bellamy, I'm at work right now can I-"

"I know, I know. Something's wrong with Audra. She's really hot, Clarke, I don't know what to do." His words came out in a rush and Clarke knew he wouldn't be able to help his niece if he was panicked.

"Okay, calm down. My shift is over soon, but you can bring her here if you want. I'll take a look at her," She paused when she heard a car horn on the other end of the phone. "You're on your way already. Aren't you?" When he didn't answer she took it as a yes. "How far away are you?"

"Five to ten minutes."

"Tell the front desk that I'm expecting you. I'll let them know and start getting the room ready," She hung up without a goodbye, knowing he wouldn't care.

Five minutes later she almost had an exam room set for Audra. She heard the main doors open and heard his voice speaking to the receptionist. Coming around the corner, she tried to be calm to counteract his franticness. His hair was disheveled. Nickolas was held on one hip and Audra on the other. Both kids were in their pajamas, and Clarke noticed a small teddy bear in Bellamy's front pocket and a child's backpack slung around his shoulder.

"Hi, Audra." Clarke began, looking at the young girl. "Uncle Bell said you weren't feeling good is that true?" When she motioned for Bellamy to put Audra down, he hesitated and then placed her gently next to him.

Audra looked at Clarke and nodded slowly. Clarke took her hand and lead the three others into the hallway toward the exam room. Clarke felt Audra tense up and only had time to glance at her before he eyes became unfocused. All at once everything seemed to become chaotic.

Bellamy called Audra's name before she fell over. Clarke was able to catch her and ease her to the ground while her body began convulsing. Nickolas cried his sister's name and tried to reach for her.

"Bellamy, Nickolas shouldn't be here." Clarke said to him. "Bellamy! Take Nick back to the waiting room. He shouldn't be here. Maya, I need help over here!"

At the second call of his name, he nodded. Maya rushed to him and pulled at him until he hazily backed out the hallway doors. Clarke had been through this before, so it shouldn't be scary to help a child through a seizure. What _was_ scary was that she was helping a child that was practically her niece. Maya came back through the doors and knelt next to Clarke.

"Audra if you can hear me, just breathe. You're going to be fine," Clarke whispered. She had already rolled her towards her front to avoid choking, and had been timing how long her seizure had been going on. A little over 3 minutes later everything was calm. Audra had stopped seizing and looked at Clarke with tears in her eyes.

"Can you sit up?" Clarke asked gently.

The girl sat up, with Clarke's help and began trembling, "Where's Uncle Bell?" she murmured.

Clarke rubbed her back and lifted her, "We'll go see him right now, sweetie."

Bellamy saw Audra falling and called her name. The fear that instantly spread through him when she started seizing was like ice. Clarke seemed to know what to do, and he was vaguely aware of Nickolas crying and trying to grab at his sister, but all he could do was stare. When Clarke called his name and Maya lead him backwards, he had no idea what to do except hold Nickolas as tight as he could. He treated his nephew like an anchor, focusing on being strong for Nick was the only thing keeping his head from exploding in terror and panic.

O had trusted him to watch her kids, and here he was- on the second night of them being gone- with no idea what happened to Audra and Nickolas still crying on his shoulder.

"Nick, its okay. Audie's going to be just fine."

He didn't know if his quiet words were more for him or the little boy in his arms, but after several minutes Nick's cries diminished. He wiggled out of Bellamy's grip and crawled to stand on the chair next to him.

Without Nick in his hold, Bellamy's head fell a bit forward and his hands pressed together between his knees. A few moments later, he felt two little hands on one of his shoulders and felt Nickolas leans his head on Bellamy's.

"Audie otay," he whispered into Bellamy's ear, and it was all Bellamy could do not to break down in the middle of the waiting room.

Clarke found them like that. In their little bubble of stillness among the others in the waiting room. She saw the minute movements of Bellamy's hands and knew that he was trying to not show any of his fear to his nephew.

Her heart melted when she got his attention and saw the small amount of wetness that had gathered in his eyes. Bellamy picked up Nickolas and crossed the space in seconds. Not bothering to take Audra from Clarke, he engulfed Audra, Clarke, and Nickolas in a tight shaky hug that held everything he wanted to say.

Wordlessly, Clarke transferred Audra over to Bellamy's arms and gestured for him to follow her.

"Let's try this again," she said in what she hoped was a soothing and unemotional voice.

After examining Audra, Clarke discovered that she had an ear infection as the cause of the fever and vomiting. While it wasn't extremely common for children of her age, 4, to have febrile seizures, Clarke suspected that her high fever was the cause of her earlier episode.

Clarke called for one of the other nurses on duty to watch the kids while she took Bellamy in the hall. He was reluctant to leave Audra's side, but after assuring him they would be right outside, he agreed.

"I want to schedule some additional-"

She was cut off by Bellamy pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms around her once again.

"Thank you so much," He said, his voice cracking on the last word.

Finally she moved her arms to reciprocate the hug. She didn't say anything when she felt his core start shaking, instead of his hands, or when she felt small drops of liquid hit the crook of her neck.

She rubbed his back as she held on. "She's going to be just fine, Bell. You did the right thing bringing her here."

That seemed to resonate with him as he pulled back enough to look in her eyes. When his deep eyes met hers, searching, he had small tear tracks down his cheeks. She reached up and rubbed one away with her thumb, gently smiling at him.

"You're going to be just fine too." She whispered.

His eyes broke away from hers to stare at his feet. "I've had them for two days, Clarke. What am I going to do for the next two weeks? I can't let Octavia down."

Bending her head to once again meet his eyes, she continued, "I'll help you. Even though she's going to be okay, I'd still like to check up on Audie, and it would be easiest to do that if I came over every couple of days. I'll even take them for a night or two if I'm not on call. Just relax." When he nodded she continued. "I want to schedule some additional tests for Audra, just to be sure it was a febrile seizure and not something else. She's also going to need to stay here overnight."

"No way am I leaving her alone! I can't just-"

"I can pull some strings that allow for you and Nick to stay. Even though your not her legal guardian, they are in your care for the time being and you are a relative."

Bellamy swallowed his words and nodded at her, silently apologizing.

The only problem with staying in the hospital was that Bellamy couldn't sleep. He was restless ever since he laid down in the small hospital bed with Audra on one side and Nick on the other. Both of them, however, were sleeping soundly. Audra had taken some consoling, but after he had scratched her back and hummed a lullaby she was calm enough to rest.

Movement caught his eye and he turned his head toward the door. Clarke was in the window motioning to come in. He nodded, confused.

"I thought you would have gone home by now."

She shook her head, "I wanted to be here in case something else happened." At his stricken look, she rushed on, "Not that I think anything is going to, but I would feel better knowing for sure.. Anyways, I just came in to see if you needed an extra blanket or anything before I go to sleep?"

"No, I think they'll be fine. Thanks though."

Clarke studied him for several seconds before sitting down in a chair next to the bed. "And what about you? You'll be fine too, I assume?"

Bellamy rolled his eyes in what he hoped was a convincing way. "Yes. Stop worrying so much."

The truth was that Bellamy was absolutely terrified. He wasn't so nervous that something would happen again tonight, but he still had the kids for almost another two weeks. Audra being sick like this and him having absolutely no way of helping her was terrifying, and it brought back all the feelings he had from when Octavia was a kid. Him not knowing if he could take care of them both, him worrying all the time that she would be taken from him, trying to put a roof over their head while also making enough time for her. It was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and he was reminded so much of her by Audra that it brought all his memories to the forefront of his mind.

Apparently the eye-roll wasn't as successful as he'd hoped. Clarke reached forward and placed one of her hands on his arm. "You will be fine, you know. You may not be right now, but it will be okay. I told you that I was going to help you, and I meant it. You don't have to shoulder everyone's burden Bellamy. You're going to call Octavia and Lincoln first thing in the morning, and the four of us will work together. You are not alone anymore."

His tears from earlier resurfaced but he refused to let them fall. Instead, he drew in a shaky breath. "I'm terrified," He whispered.

Rubbing his arm now she looked in his eyes, "Me too."

They stayed like that for several tense moments before she yawned and broke eye contract. "I'm going down the hall to the staff room. They keep a couch in there that I can crash on. I've seen that look on enough people to know that you're probably not even going to try and sleep, so if you need me for anything just come wake me up. Goodnight, Bellamy."

He watched as she tip-toed back over to the door. He could not be helped from feeling a huge wave of gratitude wash over him at the sight of her trying to quietly open the door.

"Goodnight, Clarke. "

 **A/N:** Alrighty y'all. Hopefully you liked this chapter. The next one will take longer to upload because my coursework is starting to pick up, but I'll try my hardest! Cute fluff is on the horizon!

Message or follow me on tumblr if you'd like: mslittlemistakes


	5. Princess

She felt like absolute hell. Her back had a crick in it, her neck could only be moved one direction without being painful, she was positive her hair was in knots, and her breath was terrible. But Clarke had learned a long time ago that if she wanted to be a doctor she had to make sacrifices. Although normally hygiene wasn't one of them. Luckily, she kept an emergency pair of scrubs and a small overnight bag in the staff room, so she could clean up a little.

After changing her clothes, brushing her teeth, and tying her hair into a ratty bun, Clarke was pretty sure this was as good as she was going to get. Unfortunately, she had a twelve hour shift today and after having less than five hours of sleep in total the past two nights, she still couldn't find a positive way to look at the day.

It was 5:30. Her shift started in half an hour so she decided to grab a granola bar from the vending machine and drink several cups of coffee with the time she had to spare.

Her talk with Bellamy had been odd. They had definitely grown a lot closer in the time they had known each other, but he had never been so broken and vulnerable in front of her. He got nervous or upset occasionally, but normally Octavia was around. When it was just the two of them, she was used to the fun, dangerous uncle, or the cocky, semi-self-obsessed jackass. This was something new. Something raw that had stuck to her ribs and made it harder for her to breathe when she thought about it. She felt like she knew everything he was thinking last night because oh, she had had all the same thoughts. She knew how it felt to watch a person you love sleeping in a hospital bed. She knew what it was like to have no idea how to help your family. She knew he had been terrified even before he had entrusted her with those words.

"Are you going to stand there all day, princess?"

She was startled out of her thoughts and turned around to face Bellamy. He looked just as haggard and tired as she did. Smiling sheepishly, she answered, "Sorry. I guess I just kind of zoned out." After putting her dollars in the vending machine and making her selection, she moved out of his way. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Not really. I think I was only able to doze off for about 10 minutes at a time before my thoughts started running rampant again. I wanted to be up really early anyways though, so I could call Lincoln and O. After telling them what you said they weren't as freaked out, but I'm going to keep giving them updates."

"Yeah, I can understand that." She nodded in reply.

The thing about the two of them was that they were never really alone for extended periods of time. Even without Octavia or Lincoln, there were always others in their friend group or there were the kids. When it was just the two of them, they often had no clue what to say. So when Clarke thought the pause in conversation had lasted a few beats too long to be comfortable, she began to turn away.

His hand shot out to hold her elbow but he stopped himself before he made contact. "Wait, Clarke-" He broke off, with no idea how to continue. "I just- I mean-"

"Bellamy." His whole body relaxed at the word. "It's okay."

For the second time in twenty four hours he looked at her with those eyes. Those eyes that she couldn't help but get sucked into and lose all thoughts of rationality. He seemed satisfied by her words, though, and instead of adding more he headed back towards Audra's room.

By the time Audra was discharged, Clarke's day had gotten already too hectic. A car accident had left nobody fatally injured, but there was enough people checked in to fill three double rooms. One woman rushed through the doors in labor. Several others had come in with normal "everyday" injuries. She definitely should have gotten more sleep.

She called Bellamy on her lunch break, to make sure they had gotten home alright.

"Yeah. We made it. Audra's feeling a lot better. I think her ear is starting to bother her now that she knows she has the infection, but I'm not sure how credible that is," He chuckled. As strong as she was, she was still a kid. Kid's tended to hear something was wrong with them and immediately felt nothing but the problem.

"That's good. I wanted to ask you before you left, but would it be okay if I swung by after my shift? Like I said last night, I don't think anything else will happen, but the nagging and overprotective aunt in me wants to double check everything."

He let out a breath and she couldn't determine if it was a laugh or out of relief. "Yeah, that would definitely be okay. I thought I was the only one wanting to double check."

"You are not," she laughed back. "I get off at 6. I should be at your house around 6:45?"

"6:45? You don't have to come if you've got to go to your house too. You could always come over another time."

She didn't need to go by her house, but she didn't normally drive to the hospital. From her house, it was only a twenty minute walk. From Bellamy's it was longer. "I don't need to. I usually walk to work, so-"

"You were going to walk home last night?"

She paused, not expecting his sudden concern. "Well, yes. But-"

"Clarke when I called you it was nearing ten o'clock and you still weren't finished with your shift."

Again there was concern in his voice, but Clarke thought she heard anger as well. "It's only 20 minutes, Bellamy. I've been doing it for years."

"Years? Does O know about this?"

She grimaced. She had never actually told her friends about that. Her coworkers knew, and that had calmed any worries she had so she'd never felt the need to inform anyone else of her whereabouts. "Not exactly. I never-"

He cut her off a third time. "What the hell, Clarke? You can't just walk home alone at midnight and not tell anybody. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Would you let me finish?! My coworkers know. I didn't tell you or Octavia or anyone else because I knew you'd react this way. Let it go."

As different as the Blake siblings were, they were alike in their need to care for family. They were also alike in their stubbornness, so Clarke wasn't surprised when Bellamy scoffed in obvious disagreement to her point of view.

She also wasn't surprised when he abruptly ended the call with "Whatever. See you tonight."

She was surprised, however, when she left the hospital that night and saw his car in the parking lot. They made eye contact before someone else broke in between them.

With eyes skimming up to see the other party, Clarke took a step back.

"Finn. What are you doing here?"

He looked just as sad and desperate as when she had ended things with him. In college, Clarke thought Finn was the greatest thing to ever happen to her. As deluded as it was, she had practically disowned her mother and needed guidance. He gave that to her. When she found out about Raven it had been ugly. She had screamed at him for what felt like hours and only after they broke up did she realize how overbearing he was. Instead of the guidance that she thought he was giving her, he had little ways of trying to control her: what she wore, the electives she took, how much rest she got. She had felt like it was a dangerous situation to stay in contact with him and after months of trying to reason with her, he seemed to give up.

"Hey princess. I wanted to talk to you."

She tried to side step him, but he was too fast and grabbed her arm.

"Hey, Clarke, relax a second." He held her tighter when she tried to pull away, and Clarke was almost positive she would have a bruise from his hand.

"I don't want to speak to you. Let me go," She demanded in a shaky voice.

"No, princess. This time around is going to go a bit different."

Bellamy saw the look of surprise on Clarke's face before she was blocked from view. Something about the guy she was talking to seemed familiar. He assumed it was just someone he had seen at the hospital last night. When he saw the guy grab he arm he tensed. This did not look like the friendly coworker conversation he had been picturing. After another few minutes he saw Clarke's face again. There was no denying the panic or anger he saw.

"Hey, munchkins. I'm going to get Auntie Clarke, Okay? Stay in the car."

They both nodded as he got out and made his way over.

After hearing a rushed sentence he couldn't make out, Bellamy was about to intervene. Clarke spoke in a growl before he could, "Stay the fuck away from me."

She pushed the man away and walked briskly towards him. "I thought I told you I could walk home."

"You did, but-"

"It doesn't matter. Let's just get out of here."

He couldn't understand why she was so mad at him. He had tried to help, he had even come to pick her up. "Whatever the hell you want, princess." He said bitterly, not seeing how she tensed at the word. Not seeing how her eyes filled with tears as he continued. "That's how it always is, right? Clarke doesn't get her way and all of a sudden everything's falling apart. Well I have some news- shit." Tears were freely falling out of her eyes and she was holding her arms around her middle like she was sure she'd fall apart any second. Any anger he had instantly faded. "Princess, I-"

"Don't call me that." She snapped before wiping her eyes, schooling her features, and putting on a smile before entering his car. "Hi guys!" She said happily to Audra and Nick. "What an awesome surprise!"

Bellamy was still standing outside, surprised that she could hide herself so well. His heart ached with the thought that she could do it so well because she had had a lot of practice. He shook his head and followed her into the car.

The car ride was filled with Nick and Audra laughing and singing. It was silent between Bellamy and Clarke. They each took turns talking to their niece and nephew but did not talk to or of each other.

Once they got back to Bellamy's, he had to acknowledge her. "We went grocery shopping today. The kids are hungry so I'm going to start cooking and I'd like them to help. If you want to stay for dinner you can. We're making homemade pizza."

She nodded and went to talk to Audra. Bellamy watched her check her temperature, her eye dilation, her breathing, and ask Audra some questions before sending her into the kitchen. She left without saying goodbye.

Not five minutes later he heard knocking on the door. Opening it, he saw Clarke had come back with a look of disbelief and panic on her face.

"Finn is posted outside your building." She mumbled while looking at some spot on his shoulder.

He opened the door and guided her to the kitchen. The dough mix they were using just needed water and Audra and Nick had already pressed it into their pizza shape. "Okay, kiddos. This has to bake for a few minutes before we put toppings on, so why don't you go play in the living room." They both agreed and dashed off before he turned to Clarke.

"I'm sorry" They said simultaneously.

She looked in his eyes for the first time since coming out of the hospital.

"Why didn't you say goodbye earlier? Why didn't you stay?" He watched her curiously, waiting for the answer.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You didn't want me to."

"Yes I did. I said-"

"You said I could stay if I wanted to," She looked up at him from her seat at the table, "but you didn't want me to."

He closed his eyes briefly before answering. "Okay. Please stay for dinner. Then you can tell me who the hell this guy is and I'll drive you home."

She gave him a small smile and he thought his heart might beat out of his chest. He had to tell her that he wanted to be there for her. Whoever this Finn guy was, he'd have her back. He had never seen her cry before, and something about seeing her this way was drawing him closer to her.

"Look, Clarke-"

The timer went off for the pizza crust. He breathed an awkward laugh before turning to take it out of the oven. "Come on munchkins! The crust is done," He called into the living room.

Audra and Nick cheered as the ran into the kitchen. Bellamy had laid out a variety of topping on the counter as well as a jar of pizza sauce. He gave them both a spoon so they could top it. Neither of them could reach the counter too well, so Clarke came over and scooped up Nickolas while Bellamy held Audra.

They played with the kids until the finished pizza was done, complete with a pepperoni happy face.

After dinner the kids wanted Clarke to read to them, so they got changed and she sat in their room whispering a story about princesses and heroes and evil dragons. They giggled when she flipped her hair or acted stereotypically girly when voicing the princess, but Bellamy could see that it bothered her.

"Goodnight, my loves." She whispered before kissing them each on the cheek.

Bellamy moved in after her, wishing them a goodnight. If he accidently kissed them in the same spot as she had, he was sure no harm was done.

"Goodnight Auntie Clarke and Uncle Bell," Audra told them in a sleepy voice.

Clarke and Bellamy looked at each other before Clarke turned away, but Bellamy was sure he could see a blush on her neck.

When he walked out of the kids' room and shut the door, she was sitting cross legged on the couch. He sat silently next to her before deciding to break the tension. "That story you were reading, it used to be Octavia's. My mom would read it to her and she'd tell her the same thing every time it was over." Clarke was looking at the floor, but he was looking at her. "Not all princesses need someone else to save them." She turned her face towards his, with those eyes that he knew were seeing straight into his soul. "Clarke, what I said today… I didn't mean it. You're strong. You hold yourself together in spite of everything falling apart. You don't need saving, but whatever you're going through… I have your back. O's not here, and she probably knows more about this situation then I do, but If you want saving, all you have to do is ask."

She processed his words before speaking. "Finn is an ex-boyfriend. You probably met him a few times at the bar, but it was right after you and I met. After all the stuff with my-" She stopped. Bellamy didn't know about her mom or dad, and she didn't plan on telling him now. "-with my… classes and everything I needed somebody to lean on. I started to realize that he was too controlling. Almost scary when I would disagree with him. You know how Raven and I always chuckle when someone brings up how we met?" He nodded and she gave him a wry smile. "It turns out that Finn also had a super awesome and smart girlfriend the entire time we were dating. That's another reason I ended it with him… Anyways, he tried to contact me last year and I told him not to try again, but…"

"He's trying again." Bellamy finished for her. At her nod, he continued. "What did he say to you today?"

Clarke hugged a couch pillow to her chest before continuing. "He said he wanted to talk to me, that things were going to go differently. When I argued he grabbed my arm," She rolled her sleeve a bit to show him the light bruise above her elbow. His jaw ticked and she saw him clench his fists. "He said he knew that I wanted him back, and he'd prove it to me. When I assured him I didn't, he became more insistent and told me he had some kind of plan. I really don't think there's much to it, but the look in his eyes… I've never seen him like that before."

She was tearing up again by the end of her story, and he rubbed her back gently.

"I know I said I'd drive you home, but after hearing all of that I'd feel much better if you stayed here for the night. Plus I'd have to wake up Audra and Nick."

"I would feel better if I stayed here too." She admitted quietly.

He smiled and gave her a gentle side hug. "Why don't you go grab a shower and I'll find you some pajamas."

She nodded and headed to his bathroom while he ruffled through his drawers. He found some pants and an old t-shirt and knocked on the bathroom door to give them to her. After he heard the shower start running, he grabbed a pillow and some blankets to set up on the couch. When Clarke was finished with the shower he went to get his own, but when he made his way to the couch afterwards it was already occupied.

"Clarke," he whispered. She mumbled in acknowledgement so he kept talking. "You're in my spot."

"No… my spot," She murmured.

"No, you're taking the bed. You deserve it after the day you've had. Besides, how many times have you slept on a crappy couch in the past week?"

She opened her eyes to look at him. "Too many times…"

"That's right. Too many times. Now please, prin- Clarke. Just go get into bed." He cringed at how soft he sounded. Not many people could draw this side out of him without trying. Apparently Clarke in his clothes with wet hair and tired eyes just got added to that list.

She slowly got up and made her way into his room. He took her spot on the couch and immediately regretted his decision when the smell of her hair overwhelmed him. She must have used Nick and Audra's shampoo because his pillow smelled like strawberries. He was almost able to drift to sleep when he heard his door open again and feet come padding out to the living room.

"Bellamy," Clarke whispered.

"Yes?" He questioned, opening one eye to peer at her.

She seemed to hesitate for another moment before shrugging, "Thanks."

He chuckled, "You're welcome, Clarke."

He thought she left before he heard her voice a second time. "Bellamy?"

Again he looked at her with one eye. "Yes?"

"What you said about me being strong: I... I believe that you believe that. I know you weren't just saying it to take care of me or comfort me." She kept looking at him, determined.

"I do believe that. Clarke, what-"

"You can call me princess."

He closed his eyes and smiled. By the time he opened them, she was gone.


	6. You're Made of Stars

Clarke was woken up the next morning by a shrill beeping. She reached blindly onto the nightstand so she could shut off the noise. Grumbling, she sat up and looked around.

"What the… Oh. Right." she mumbled to herself. Figuring that Bellamy's alarm had gone off for a reason, she went to the living room to wake him up.

He was sprawled on the couch, his arms at awkward angles and one leg hanging off. Clarke was sure that he was about 6 inches too tall to properly lay down, but she was grateful he had given her his bed.

"Bellamy, your alarm was going off." She whispered, nudging his shoulder.

He grunted and his arms came towards her. "S'okay" he murmured before finding her waist and pulling her on top of him. "Go back to sleep."

Clarke would not consider herself a morning person, and her brain was definitely not awake enough to comprehend all of the contact Bellamy had made. As a result, instead of untangling herself, she squealed his name. She ended up accidently straddling his lap with her hands braced on the arm of the couch. His face ended up buried in her chest.

"Mmm…" He sighed, nuzzling her.

"Bell. Please wake up," Clarke breathlessly pleaded. She knew she was being a huge creep, enjoying his practically unconscious movements, but it was _Bellamy_ after all.

He chose that moment to become more lucid. First his hands became firmer, feeling up Clarke's back, then he pulled his face away. "Clarke?!" He sat up quickly, so they were face to face. Clarke was still straddling him and he made a choked noise when he continued to process their current position. Their eyes locked and his hands tightened on her back for a beat too long before she scooted herself off.

She had to catch her breath before speaking. "Your alarm… I was waking you, but you pulled me down… Onto you…" She explained, lamely.

Bellamy scrubbed a hand down his face. "God. Sorry, I thought- the kids have nightmares sometimes, I thought you were one of them waking me up."

"Oh…" She nodded faintly, trying to stop her cheeks from blushing.

They sat awkwardly for a few more moments before Bellamy spoke up again. "Why did you wake me up again?"

He hadn't meant it to sound rude, but he could tell from Clarke's sharp turn of her head that she had heard it that way. "Your alarm started blaring. I figured you need to be somewhere. Sorry."

She got off the couch without giving him a chance to explain himself. Clarke knew that he was not trying to be impolite, but after what just happened she figured her safest bet would be to start a fight and get the hell away from him. The last thing she needed was to blurt her feelings out because he stared at her with _those eyes_ for a millisecond too long. She made it to his room and had half of her belongings packed up before he came in.

Bellamy came in the room with his temper ignited. Never knowing when to back down from a fight, he spoke harshly to Clarke. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home."

"Last week you agreed to watch the kids today. Do you have so much happening in your life that you forgot about them?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course I didn't! I assumed you would bring them by my place later."

He scoffed. "I have to be at work in an hour, princess. Sorry if I can't tailor to your every need but if you want the kids at your place, you're going to have to bring them there yourself." He stalked past her and into the bathroom to get a shower before work.

As soon as he slammed the door, guilt began to pool in his stomach. This is always how it was with them. One of them would overreact and the other would refuse to keep a level head. He showered quickly and made his way to his room. When he was dressed he found Clarke asleep on the couch. He went into the kids' room to give each one a kiss goodbye and then left for work.

The next time Clarke woke up, the apartment was quiet. Both Audra and Nick were still asleep and she assumed Bellamy had gone to work. She decided that while he was gone she would spoil them with cinnamon rolls. Her plan to start a fight didn't exactly work out like she'd hoped. Instead of wanting to get away from him, she desperately wanted to apologize for making his morning so rough. She was not pleased with herself, but that just meant she had to move on to plan B: ignore Bellamy until she had enough time to sort out the mess with Finn, she was under less stress at work, and Friday had passed. This Friday was the anniversary of the day her father had died, she definitely did not need Bellamy to see her break down that night. It would no doubt be worse than normal with all the things she had been dealing with, and she hated people to see her weaknesses. Maybe after she allowed herself to let everything out things would start to get better.

She had just separated the rolls and put them in the oven when Audra came into the kitchen. "Hi Auntie Clarke," she yawned.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?"

Her niece smiled, "Good."

Clarke sat at the table and pulled Audra into her lap while they waited for the cinnamon rolls to bake. Since it was a store bought package, Clarke promised Audra that she could help with the icing. Nick came into the kitchen after they were done, sniffing the air and smiling.

"Auntie Clawke! Yummy!"

She laughed, "Yeah, it does smell yummy, huh?"

While they ate Clarke realized that there was no way for them to get to her house. She had planned to walk home and get her car last night, but Bellamy had driven her here. She wouldn't mind walking home if it was just her, but she didn't want the kids to have to do that. "It looks like we're stuck here for the day. What do you guys want to do?"

Audra swallowed before saying, "The bookshelf! Let's paint more!"

Clarke knew that Bellamy wanted them to paint it, but she also knew it had been his mom's. At first she debated if she would be overstepping her bounds by painting it without him there, but then she remembered that he had told Octavia the paint stressed him out. He was more attached to the idea of them having the shelf than them painting the shelf. "That sounds like a great idea!"

Half an hour later Clarke had spread a drop cloth on the floor of their room, opened the window to let the fumes out, and laid out several plastic plates with colors. An hour after that, a total of four shelves were almost done. Audra and Nick were still working hard, but including the two they painted with Bellamy, Clarke thought all four looked great.

"Auntie Clarke, why don't you paint?" Audra asked her.

"It's your shelf, I wouldn't want to mess it up," she chuckled.

At Audra's insistence, Clarke took the smallest brush and chose to work on the back panel of the top shelf. She knew that both Audra and Nick would have trouble reaching it, and if they didn't like it she could always paint over it.

While she painted she thought of history. She thought of Bellamy and Octavia; how much they had been through together, she thought of Aurora; how proud she would be of her children and grandkids, she thought of mythology and how much faith you had to have to believe in something so much bigger than yourself. She thought of her niece and nephew and how she was sure pieces of Aurora existed in their souls. She thought of her father; how kind and gentle he could be while still maintaining the fight in his eyes. After covering the panel she looked at her work. She had gone over the edge and covered the top of the bookshelf too. The back panel was filled with scenes from ancient Greece. Rulers that she thought held an uncanny resemblance to the all members of the Blake family. There were bright oranges in the sky and each person had a mixed look of determination and curiosity on their face. Some played the role of warriors too- because she knew how hard they had fought. Some people lay peacefully under a tree, she recognized her father in this crowd. Interspersed in these scenes was creatures and gods and goddesses that Bellamy had told her about over the years. Each one had fine detail. The orange sky drifted into blues and blacks as it made its way onto the top. There she had painted the universe, with different constellations here and there. In the middle was a collection of stars in the shape of a boy and girl. She didn't know if it was supposed to be Audra and Nick or Bellamy and Octavia, but she figured it didn't matter. All four were made from stardust.

She was broken out of her reverie by a small hand. "That is very pretty," Audra whispered to her.

She looked at her phone and realized that several hours had passed since she started painting. She thanked Audra with a small smile and scooped her up, "Lunch time, cutie."

After lunch, Clarke cleaned up their paint mess and all three of them decided to watch a movie until Bellamy came home. Clarke had her bag packed and she had long since changed out of his clothes. She planned to be ready to leave as soon as he walked through the door.

When they did here his key, she kissed both kids on their head and started to get up, "I'll see you guys soon. I had fun today!"

Bellamy walked in the apartment and saw the three on them in the living room. His eyes stopped on Clarke, "Hey, I wanted to-"

"We had lunch about two hours ago. They're both fine." She walked out with her bag slung over her shoulder and a gentle wave to her niece and nephew.

He stared at the shut door for several more seconds before turning back to Audra and Nick. "Did you guys have fun today?" They smiled widely and nodded. He continued, "Audra… Did Aunt Clarke seem odd today?"

She thought for a second and shook her head. "She was worried we wouldn't like her painting, but I told her we did."

"Her painting?"

She jumped up, "Yeah! Come and see!" She pulled him to the back room where he saw the bookshelf still standing in the middle. "This is my shelf! And this one is Nicky's! And that one is Auntie Clarke's!"

Bellamy nodded and expressed how great each shelf looked, but when he saw Clarke's his heart stuttered. She had drawn them all so magnificently. Everything about the shelf screamed how highly she thought of his family, but he realized she had left herself off. He saw several people he did not recognize, but he also saw O, Lincoln, Audra, Nick, himself, and even his mother. As much as he loved the panel painting, the top was even more spectacular. Somehow she had made every star shine. The ones in the middle were brightest, and the image of the boy and girl captivated him almost as much as its creator.

He picked up Audra and gave her a tight hug. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "You're made of stars, little one," He told her and kissed her cheek.

He tried calling Clarke. He wanted to apologize for how things had unfolded that morning, but she didn't answer. He decided that a text would be better than nothing. _"If I'd remembered that you didn't have a car, I would have given you a ride. I'm sorry for this morning, princess. You forgot to paint yourself,"_ He sent her.

Clarke did not text or call him the rest of the night, but he wished that she had.

 **A/N:** I hope you liked this one! I felt like it was a bit shorter than the others but I didn't want to leave out any day of their two weeks. Review if you can or suggest a cute scene if you're dying to see it- my Tumblr is mslittlemistakes

Thank you, loves!


	7. I'd Like That

Clarke did not call him the next morning either despite his multiple voicemails. Bellamy had arranged for his TA to lecture his students on Wednesday, but Harper had emailed him that morning that she was sick. His class had an exam next week, so he didn't want to cancel class. The problem was that Audra and Nick's usual sitter could not watch them on such short notice. Since Clarke was not answering his calls, he had no choice but to take the kids with him.

They pulled into the staff parking lot and he turned around.

"I'm sorry you had to come with me today guys, but we should be gone in a couple hours. I only have two classes to lecture and I'll skip my office hours."

They nodded and he pulled them out of the car along with their coloring books and some other toys he had packed.

Bellamy had worked at Ark University for the past five years, first as a TA while he finished graduate school, and then as a professor. He taught Classics, specifically Greek Mythology at a first and second year level. Occasionally he had an advanced course, but he preferred getting people to love mythology rather than analyzing legends through a modern lens.

When he got to the lecture hall, several students were already waiting outside. He smiled at them and tried to keep up his "tough professor" reputation while holding his niece and nephew's hands.

"Uncle Bell, I have to go potty," Audra whispered to him.

A couple of his students snickered and he gave them a warning glare. "Okay kiddo, come on." He walked them to the restrooms and while Audra went inside he waited with Nick.

His phone started ringing and he saw that Clarke was calling.

"Hel-"

"Oh my God Bellamy, I'm so sorry I didn't answer. I turned my phone off last night and I completely forgot to turn it back on this morning." She rushed to tell him.

He expected her to still be angry at him, but it didn't sound like she was. "Uh- that's okay. I'm with the kids now at Ark."

"I know, I figured from your voicemails. I'm having lunch with- er- someone in five minutes, but I don't think it should take very long. I can come pick them up after that? In about an hour?"

He thought she sounded stressed out, but he wasn't going to argue with her when she was offering to let him teach uninterrupted. "Yeah, Clarke. That would be great. Thank you. Hey look, I'm sor-"

"I know. Me too, Bell."

Audra came out of the restroom after he hung up the phone. "Alright guys, Auntie Clarke is going to come by in about an hour to pick you both up, and then you can have a fun day with her. Until then I have to start my class."

They both nodded as he walked them into the lecture hall.

Clarke had turned her phone off last night after multiple calls from both Finn and her mother. When they were dating, she had made the mistake of telling Finn about her dad, and with the anniversary coming up, he must have chosen to capitalize on her emotional state. Her mother had called her multiple times to remind her of their annual lunch. Although she had missed it several times in a row the past decade, the last three years they both showed up at noon to her dad's favorite restaurant on the day he got hit. Clarke had claimed the day he actually passed away as her time to reflect on everything, but the day he was hit was something they could both find some common ground on. Her mother was by no means innocent in her eyes, but after learning how Octavia misses her own mother, she had tried to make more of an effort getting along with Abby.

She showed up to Mount Weather and saw that Abby was already waiting outside. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and walked to meet her.

"Clarke," Her mom smiled, "I was worried you weren't going to make it."

"I told you last week I'd be here."

Abby nodded in response as they made their way to the table she had reserved.

They both ordered and Clarke listened to Abby talk about her charity work, her friends, and her job for what felt like hours. When she did chime in it was with an "I'm doing fine also" or "That sounds interesting". Eventually the conversation died down and they were waiting for their food.

"I can't stay very much longer, I have to go pick up the kids from Bellamy." Clarke started, tired of the awkward silence.

"The kids?"

"Octavia and Lincoln's kids. They had to go to Iceland for work, so Audra and Nick are staying at Bellamy for the next week and a half and I'm helping out."

Her mother looked shocked. "They left their kids for two weeks? That doesn't sound very good."

Clarke gritted her teeth. "They had no choice."

"Still, leaving your kids with someone else so you can work… Oh well, like mother like daughter, I suppose."

Something in Clarke snapped when her mother said those words. She set her napkin down calmly before standing up and picking up her purse. "I cannot believe you. This was a mistake. Hopefully next year you will have changed enough that we can actually make it through a meal." She walked out of the restaurant without another word.

When she got to her car, Clarke yelled as loud as she could. She shouted obscenities at the top of her lungs and punched her passenger seat to release some of her anger. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. If she started crying now, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop anytime soon, and she needed to help Bellamy.

Fifteen minutes later she was pulling into the visitor lot at Ark University. She had calmed down enough that her eyes weren't burning anymore, but she was sure she still looked like a wreck.

She walked into the hall that Bellamy had told her and saw him in front.

"Your next exam will be over everything we've covered in the past three weeks. Bring a scantron and a blue book."

Her eyes shifted to behind him, where Audra and Nick were coloring at a small table. She waved when they spotted her and Audra stood up. She tapped Bellamy and pointed. "Auntie Clarke is here. Can we go?" She whispered.

He shook his head put a hand on her shoulder as he kept speaking to his students. "You can go now, if you have questions you'll have to email me. I won't be at my regular office hours."

Clarke scooted away from the door as all the students made their way to it and walked down the steps to meet Bellamy. Her whole body felt tense, but when she bent down to hug Nick and Audra she felt instantly relieved. "You guys have a good mommy," she told them both and kissed their heads.

She meant to say it quietly, but Bellamy's brows furrowed and he looked at her questioningly. Before he could ask her, she started talking to him. I can bring them to my house for a while, if that's okay. I should probably take your car though and leave mine for you since yours has their car seats in it."

He seemed to understand that she didn't want to talk about it, and nodded, "Sure, that sounds fine. Thanks for coming to pick them up, princess."

Clarke grabbed Nick and Audra's bag, both of their hands, and gave Bellamy a small smile before leaving.

He didn't know what was going on with her, but he was going to find out.

Clarke took them to Braum's on the way home. It wasn't the healthiest option, but she needed ice cream after the morning she'd had. When they got to her house they decided to do a puzzle. It was one Clarke had picked up a few weeks earlier of Monet's _Water Lilies._ She had found it online and had to get it for them.

She had left them to it while she got ice for her now throbbing hand. Apparently she had hit the passenger seat of her car harder than she meant to, because her knuckles were bright red and she was sure they would be at least a little swollen by tomorrow.

"What happen, Auntie Clawke?" She heard Nick ask.

Turning around she saw both kids looking at her with worried looks. "Nothing happened. Auntie Clarke's hand just hurts a little." She smiled. "Maybe you can help me… Can you try to kiss it better?" She held out her hand to him and he took it gently. He lightly touched it to his mouth and made a "Mwah" noise before letting it go and smiling at her.

"I fix," He told her proudly.

Clarke chuckled in response, "Yes, you did."

They finished the puzzle and Audra and Nick laid down for a nap while Clarke watched some TV. An hour later Bellamy was knocking at her door.

"Come in," She called to the door.

He walked in without much thought until he saw her hand. Instantly he grabbed it and looked at her knuckles. "Who'd you have lunch with today?" He asked her quietly.

She looked down, unsure of what to say. But after everything Bellamy had gone through in the past week, and how honest he had been with her, she figured she owed him the truth. "My mother."

He nodded slowly, thumb skimming over her hand. "How did this happen?"

She swallowed roughly, "I punched my passenger seat."

Bellamy let a breath out of his nose that she thought sounded as tired as she felt. "What made you do that?"

"I was mad."

He tilted her chin so that she was looking in his eyes instead of at her lap. "Can I ask why?"

She knew she should tell him. She should tell him about her mom. About how different the two of them are, and how she promises herself that she won't turn into Abby. She should tell him about her dad. About how Friday would make 10 years since he died and she wasn't sure how she could make it through the day all alone. About how Octavia was the closest thing she had to family and she wouldn't be here. About how she felt like he could help her for some reason, him and the kids. About how his eyes made her believe everything would be okay and his fingertips set her skin on fire.

She nodded.

"Why?"

"She-"

"Uncle Bell!" Audra said as she skipped over to him from Clarke's room.

Whatever connection they had made between their eyes and hands broke as he turned his head. Clarke shut her eyes and moved off the couch to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Her heart was beating too fast and she felt the trails of his fingers throughout her hand. Their eyes met again when she came back in the room and she shook her head mouthing "Later".

Nick woke up shortly after that and all three of them left.

That night when Clarke was getting ready for bed Bellamy called.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Clarke. I-uh..." He sighed. "You seemed a little-… Are you okay?"

Despite everything that was happening in her life, Clarke could not help the stupid grin from overtaking her face. "Yeah, I will be."

"Okay, because I know we didn't really get to finish talking about your lunch… or our fight… or the other morning…" He coughed awkwardly.

So did she. "Yeah… Yeah-um- I'll be okay. We can finish talking another time, if you want."

"Yeah, I'd like that…"

He seemed like he wanted to say more so Clarke waited.

"We're going to the zoo tomorrow if you don't have to work," He rushed out. "I can pick you up at 10:30? Maybe we could finish talking."

She smiled. "Yeah, that sounds fun."

 **A/N:** I hoped you liked this one! The next one should be up hopefully much sooner; it's already about 1/3 of the way done. Let me know what you think!


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